Jews are now 2nd-class in Europe * How we forged ties with the happy kingdom * A hijacking inspired my parents the Sharankys * Halacha for same-sex couples

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, December 17, 2020 [The road to happiness: How we established ties with Bhutan]( By [Gilad Cohen]( [Our clandestine visits laid the ground for agreements on agriculture, health and water, as well as the chance to improve voting patterns in the UN]( [Houda Nonoo]( [Bahrain and Israel can spread the light]( [Hanukkah reminds us all to be thankful for the miracles in our lives – both large and small. This year, we are reminded of the Abraham Accords, a modern-day miracle that took place in the last few months. It is very personal for the Jewish communities of the Gulf – those of us in Bahrain and in the United Arab Emirates. On each night of Hanukkah, as we light the candles, we make the blessing over miracles, “she’asa nissim le’avotenu bayamim hahem bzman hazeh” (who made miracles for our forefathers...]( [Alex Benjamin]( [The moment the Jew became a second-class citizen in Europe again]( [Whatever the Court of Justice claims, a clear decision was made today: Jewish rights are now ranked behind animal rights and hunting]( [Jason Isaacson]( [The Morocco-Israel breakthrough: Let the game-changing begin!]( [With a relationship that goes all the way to the civilizational level, this agreement is nothing short of momentous]( [An especially bleak darkness over sexual assault survivors]( By [Miriam Schler]( [With budgets squeezed, fundraisers impossible, and survivors forced to ’shelter’ with their abusers, we are sending up an SOS flare]( [Bishara A. Bahbah]( [My fellow Palestinians wake up! You are all alone.]( [Thursday’s announcement that Morocco will be the latest Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel should have come as no surprise. Yet, the Palestinians were startled and flabbergasted by the announcement. Another Arab country, this time Morocco, is ditching the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. The initiative committed all Arab countries – through a unanimous vote – not to establish ties with Israel before the resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict. Within the past few months, four Arab countries, UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, opted to establish ties with Israel in...]( From the blogs [On same-sex couples in the Orthodox Jewish community]( By [Benjamin Lau]( [’It is not good for a person to be alone’ – regardless of their sexuality. On coming out, finding a partner, tying the knot, and having children]( [Yuval Cherlow]( [In light of the Leifer case: A communal mission statement]( [Israel must ensure that being a haven for all Jews does not mean harboring accused criminals or protecting alleged perpetrators of abuse]( [Martin Sherman]( [John Brennan disputes Israel’s right to defend itself. There’s a word for that.]( [The former CIA director who drew up the US ’kill list’ criticizing the assassination of Iran’s Fakhridazeh? You’ve got to be kidding.]( From the blogs [50 years ago, a failed hijacking brought light into the world]( By [Rachel Sharansky Danziger]( [The ensuing trial changed the lives of young Jews in the USSR, included my parents, by posing age-old questions: Do we dare? Is now the time?]( [Lynette Nusbacher]( [Drunkards, queers and hen-pecked husbands: The embitterment of John le Carré]( [Fundamental to his novels was that even when one side was right and the other was wrong, both sides’ methods were comparable]( [Omer Yankelevitch]( [Our Common Destiny: A new call to action for the Jewish people]( [A visionary document that forges a collective vision of peoplehood is our roadmap for initiatives that will help shape a shared future]( [Dagan Bakun-Mazor]( [When the earth moves under our feet, will we be ready?]( [A potentially devastating earthquake will hit Israel, that is certain. Now is the time to invest more resources in qualifying future engineers]( [Penny Cagan]( [A great miracle happened in Kalamazoo]( [Developing a vaccine in under a year that would usually take years to engineer is an astonishment, and its message is: Respect the science]( [Sufganiyot redeem 2020]( By [Hilary Faverman]( [What our annual Hanukkah doughnut tour was missing in routine (thank you, pandemic), it made up for in taste]( Choice voices [Eli Hurvitz]( [In this crisis, a golden chance to reimagine education]( [The success of a handful of teachers and students during the pandemic points the way forward to schooling that aligns with tomorrow’s needs]( [Yuval Feldman]( [What if you were paid to get the COVID-19 vaccine?]( [Incentivizing compliance could have a negative impact on those who view being tested for the coronavirus as an act of civic responsibility]( [Jennifer Raskas]( [From chaos to light]( [Usually, we light Hanukkah candles as long as people are out and about, but this year, with people isolated at home, we needed a new way to share our light with others]( [Ilana Goldstein Saks]( [‘His father wept for him’]( [Jacob jumps to the obvious conclusion when he sees his son’s bloody coat, but what if he’d entertained the possibility that Joseph was yet alive? (Vayeshev)]( [Lauren Silverman]( [When my marriage ended, my Jewish journey began]( [Turning inward, I found cavernous spaces where my identity once lived and discovered I was one of Herman Wouk’s ’Uncertain’ Jews]( [Sari Laufer]( [Hanukkah isn’t a major Jewish holiday. This year, maybe it should be]( [The holiday tells of a tenacious minority maintaining its religious identity, it has a miracle, and it has light. How 2020 is that?]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? [View in browser]( © 2020 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved